Makeover | Hyatt Regency Chennai turns 10 and is getting a makeover
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Tarun Seth, general manager of the hotel is confident that by mid 2022, the city will get a more contemporary property.
The Hyatt Regency Chennai turned ten this weekend and ETHospitaltyWorld spoke with Tarun Seth, the general manager of the property on the occasion.
“I arrived when the hotel was not yet seven years old and now, it’s turning 10 in front of me. I'll be witnessing the celebration of the 10th year. Hyatt Regency Chennai was the first Hyatt in south India. It obviously makes this occasion even more special. We've been able to not just establish ourselves in this decade but been able to set up our footprint in a very formidable manner in the region,” Seth said.
Over these 10 years, the hotel had been a preferred choice for instance during sporting events, he said, with a large room inventory, second only to the ITC Grand Chola, and around 30,000 square feet of banqueting space. The hotel was the base for Sunriser Hyderabad this year, he said.
Large banquet space also made them ideal for the MICE business in Chennai, especially medical conferences in the city, he added. “Chennai obviously does not enjoy the highest rate amongst all Metro—it possibly comes last. But travel has really begun well, in fact, in the month of July occupancies around this part of the city in overall comm set has come to about close to 45 to 50 percent. We as a hotel did almost close to 48 percent occupancy in the last month and I think looking at August we might start doing 55 to 60 percent occupancy, which is only 15 to 20 percent less than our pre Covid levels,” Seth said on business this year.
While staycations continue and remain a bedrock of business during the weekends, small businesses have also started to travel—those with local negotiated contracts, in and around the city. Business is coming in from Coimbatore, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, markets which have opened up for them, he said, adding that some medical companies have also started having smaller conferences, all within the Covid rules.
"The hotel is actually sprucing up all its rooms. And by mid 2022, the work to upgrade the rooms and interiors will be complete. So, by next June you will possibly have 325 very contemporary rooms completely renewed from inside. That's a very big takeaway that in the 10th year, the promoters have really gone all out to invest more money into the property," Seth added in conclusion.
